"Damn the Absolute!" Please pardon the expression which is a quote of William James from Os Guinness in Fool's Talk, but it does take us straight to the jugular.
Why is the absolute so scary for some?
The Barna Research Group reports that 57% of Americans claim that knowledge of right and wrong is a matter of personal experience and a whopping 74% of Millennials (born 1984-2002) agree that “Whatever is right for your life or works best for you is the only truth you can know." Sadly, in the same study under the category of "The Morality of Self-Fulfilment", 76% of practicing christians agree that "The best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself", and 61% (of practicing christians) agree that "People can believe whatever they want as long as those beliefs don't affect society." Does this mean that they believe that what they've got (inside themselves) is better than that which Jesus Christ offers? This is not okay. The eternal destinity of every individual in the world depends on what they believe.
Ray Comfort addresses Relative Morality in his documentary-style movie Evolution Vs. God which you can stream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0u3-2CGOMQ. The Relative Morality part starts at the 21 minute time-mark. In this video, Ray Comfort discusses the problem of failing to have moral absolutes. That problem has a huge impact on the society around us. A culture without absolutes can not survive.
Another problem with the absolute is its origin. We can find absolutes in many areas: time, morality, cultural norms... but each one of these absolutes has an impact on our belief system and our worldview.
This brings us to the pointy end of the discussion: if we can look within ourselves to find ourselves, then there is no need for any absolutes. If we had no absolutes, we would have no crime, no sin, and no need for ... wait! Did I say "No Sin"?? There's the answer. If we do away with absolutes, then we will have no moral absolutes, no law of God and no sin. Therefore we would not need to admit to our sin (because it wouldn't exist) and have no need for conviction of sin or salvation. We would be unaccountable to any and every person (and God). There, very simply, is the psychology of the rejection of absolutes.
In Romans 7:15-24, Paul eloquently describes the problem of the fleshly human nature and the desire to do that which is contrary to the law of God. He says in Romans 1:20,
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.Yet, we see excuses to disregard God, and one such excuse is the deliberate rejection of absolutes. Rejection of absolutes means rejection of God's grace and offer of salvation, and the embracing of evil practices and acts. So it gets worse...
Although they knew God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them (Rom. 1:32)It sounds very much like the culture we live in, yet Paul's letter to the Romans was penned around 2,000 years ago.
On the flipside, the beauty of this problem is that the whole issue of absolutes and moral absolutes can be used in an apologetics sense to turn people to the truth which does in fact exist and is found in the Word of God.
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16)The Lord declares in Isaiah 55:11,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.A discussion about the purpose of absolutes in God's plan for mankind must lead people to the sin problem: the separation of man from the intended perfect relationship with God, thus exposing the need for the Saviour, Jesus.
References:
Barna Group. (2016). The End of Absolutes: America's New Moral Code - Barna Group. [online] Available at: https://www.barna.com/research/the-end-of-absolutes-americas-new-moral-code/ [Accessed 18 Oct. 2016].
Guinness, O. (2016). Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion. 1st ed. Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.